International Primary Curriculum

In 1988, the Conservative Minister of Education Ken Baker launched Primary Schools into a mind-numbing and stultifying two decades  of facts facts facts and tests tests tests. Those of us who expected Labour to reverse such stupidity were disappointed. Pupils have been turned off and demotivated by irrelevant material. Teachers have been overloaded, because when this error was pointed out, they were tasked to deliver in addition moral education, citizenship education, environmental education, economic and industrial understanding and anything else that hit the tabloids.
The International Primary Curriculum (http://www.internationalprimarycurriculum.com) was developed for international schools abroad with funding from Shell. A friend, a primary teacher in Pakistan, is totally enthusiastic. Whilst covering National Curriculum subjects, it organises its termly work around topics which interest young children and offer opportunities for active creative endeavour. She had just finished 'Airports'. Rainforest, Mission to Mars and Beyond, Chocolate, Fit for Life, The Olympics and Making the Newsare also available. The teacher receives a pack with information and activities which cover the different curriculum areas. The school has to plan ahead for curriculum balance. A team of advisers guide and approve the school plan. A number of English primary schools are also finding IPC useful. Primary teachers and teacher trainers from the 1970s and 1980s are chuckling. As my friend said, "Its great. This was the way I was taught."